{"id":10873,"date":"2020-07-16T06:52:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T05:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=10873"},"modified":"2023-01-17T10:49:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T10:49:35","slug":"bring-remote-teams-together-virtual-team-building-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/bring-remote-teams-together-virtual-team-building-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring Remote Teams Together with These Virtual Team Building Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a survey conducted by social media software company Buffer, loneliness, collaboration and communications<\/a> were at the top of the list of woes for people struggling with the remote working<\/a> environment.<\/p>\n

Since that survey was conducted, the current global pandemic has forced its hand in terms of dictating this \u2018new normal\u2019 trend of home working and distributed teams.<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re undoubtedly seeing more and more teams embrace the freedom and flexibility that home working offers, one of the biggest challenges (aside from having the right technology<\/a>) is replicating an environment which is conducive to encouraging genuine human connections between colleagues.<\/p>\n

At a time when we can\u2019t be physically together, we\u2019ve put together a list of virtual team building activities to keep remote teams connected. In this post we\u2019ll take a look at what virtual team building is, why the activities are important, six fun virtual team building activities to try, and some of the tech tools you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n

Our whistle-stop tour of virtual team building<\/h2>\n

Traditional team building often gets a bad rep. Stiff-upper-lip corporates may well baulk at the idea of cringeworthy ice breakers or forced merriment at a team social event. However, it\u2019s undeniable that the act of team building, whether it\u2019s simply a drink among colleagues, a painful karaoke night or a day of brain teaser challenges, these events bring teams together and give colleagues something to bond over other than a mutual love for the humble spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

Whether it takes place online or offline, the concept of team building is the same. Companies and business owners want to create an environment where employees can spend time together in a non-working capacity, allowing them to unwind, have fun and get to know each other better.<\/p>\n

Team building also helps to build a deeper level of trust, respect, and cooperation between teammates, bringing about a more seamless and knowledge-rich workplace environment.<\/p>\n

The rising trend of virtual team building brings the traditional challenge of getting team building right for your company into the unknown digital realms we now inhabit.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the technologies at our fingertips mean that remote teams don\u2019t have to miss out on team bonding. In recent months, savvy managers have jumped at the chance to recreate the \u2018water cooler\u2019 experience that co-workers may be yearning for, delivering it in an even more fun and more cost-effective way than the old-school team events of yore.<\/p>\n

Conferencing tools such as RingCentral Office, which bring together team messaging, collaboration<\/a> features, and phone and video calling capabilities, offer a whole host of new ways to connect, helping organisations build a stronger team ethos from literally anywhere.<\/p>\n

Why we need to virtually build teams<\/h2>\n

While productivity levels seem strong and teams may be working effectively from home, it\u2019s easy to overlook the importance of face time, or simply human connection. In a world where 20% of remote workers feel that loneliness is their biggest struggle<\/a> with working remotely, giving your team the time to bond is more important now than it ever has been.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to allow employees the opportunity to develop bonds with colleagues. More notably, bonds which go beyond the day-to-day work chatter about projects documents over email. Good relationships in the workplace are key to employee engagement as well as staff longevity.<\/p>\n

Virtual team building gives employees a much-needed outlet for non-work-related talk and quality time.<\/p>\n

Team building in this sense is also particularly important for new hires. Employee onboarding in a remote landscape can be extremely challenging, with new hires wanting to feel integrated and at one with the team, achieving this when teams are totally disparate is a real challenge. Helping your employees to feel welcome and settled in a new team doesn\u2019t happen by accident. This is where virtual team building becomes especially useful.<\/p>\n

Six fun virtual team building activities you should try<\/h2>\n

The great thing about working in a digital environment is that you can source new and cost-effective ways to let your hair down as part of a team. All you need for these fun virtual team building activities are a few simple tech tools, then simply find the right virtual activities to suit your teams. Here are a few ideas which could work for specific teams or companies of any size.<\/p>\n

1. Allocate random pair-ups<\/h5>\n

Allocate two randomly selected team members to have a scheduled 15 minute \u2018pair-up\u2019 chat using your video conferencing<\/a> tool. You might want to use the trusty old \u2018names in the hat\u2019 method, or you could use the handy wheel of names<\/a> app to ensure allocated pairs are truly random. Encourage non-work-related prompts to help co-workers get to know each other or just keep things organic by simply encouraging a work-free zone for those 15-minutes to talk about anything they like.<\/p>\n

Ice breaker prompts work well and don\u2019t need to be particularly in-depth, with many using questions such as “what was the last thing you binge-watched on TV\/Netflix”, or “What\u2019s the most surprising thing you purchased for yourself recently” working well to break down barriers and trigger new conversations.<\/p>\n

Pair-ups are a simple but effective way to help existing team members bond on a deeper level and are also a great way to introduce and integrate newer team members. With little planning required, this is arguably the simplest, most cost-effective way to kick-start your virtual team building plans.<\/p>\n\t\t